Sky Realm
by silverfang076
Summary: After the battle with Sasuke, Naruto is found by others before Kakashi. They take him to their home to train him, due to a prophecy matching him... one of destruction. Watch as he becomes strong there. Will he return? What will happen? NaruHina eventually
1. Chapter 1

Ch 1: Beginning the Journey

Tsunade slammed her fist onto her desk upon hearing the report, promptly destroying said object, " WHAT?"  
" Calm down, Tsuna-" a white-haired man held up his hands, hoping to placate her anger.  
" Don't 'Calm down, Tsunade' me! The entire group is gravely wounded, Sasuke hasn't been brought back, and Naruto is dead! What do you think-"  
" TSUNADE!" Jiraiya bellowed.  
The Hokage stopped mid-sentence, face-to-face with the other sannin.  
" Listen, I know you're upset, but calm down, alright? Konoha doesn't need a hysterical Hokage right now who can't keep her temper in check. You have to keep strong for the village." Jiraiya paused, " Orochimaru sent the elite of his village to escort Sasuke. It's a miracle that any of the genins in the group are alive at all! Furthermore..." he looked down briefly, " ... There's no proof that Naruto is dead."  
Tsunade's eyes widened, jolted by his words, " N-Naruto... is alive?"  
" Possibly." Jiraiya replied, " We never found his body. There's a chance that he's alive..."  
The Hokage became silent, and she stared at the remains of her desk. All the shinobi present in her office right now felt bad, guilty, like they should've been there to do something. Even though Naruto wasn't the most welcomed ninja among them, they all felt pretty bad about losing the last Uchiha.  
" Go." Tsunade finally spoke, though it was unclear to whom. " Go. I don't care what it takes, but find Naruto right now! He's an important part of this village, and I'll have him back here... alive or dead."  
The room was silent.  
" GO!" she roared at them.  
The effect was instantaneous, as if everyone had learned the Hiraishin. They were all gone in a flash, as each feared her temper.  
Tsunade finally broke down and began to cry.  
Little did she know that she wasn't the only one mourning the blond jinchuuriki.  
Kakashi stared at the team photo of his students.  
I'm sorry, sensei... I couldn't help your son...  
A tear glistened at the corner of his eye.  
I'm so sorry, Naruto... There were so many things I never got to tell you. I couldn't even teach you enough techniques to make you into a formidable ninja. I have so many regrets...  
Jiraiya sighed as he leaned against a wall. I never got to know you that well, brat. I guess I'm letting Minato down...I sure wish I could've spent more time with you, kid. He shook his head. Wait, what am I thinking? Naruto may very well still be alive! I'm going to find him if that's the last thing it takes!  
Hinata sat under a tree, knees tucked close to her body and crying.  
N-Naruto is gone... and I never got to tell him how I feel... I could've been stronger and helped him!  
The tears fell faster and sobs racked her body.  
I can't go on like this...  
Suddenly she could see Naruto in front of her again. She could see his determination and courage... and his will to never give up. His dream to become the Hokage no matter what it took.  
That's it. Hinata was suddenly struck by an idea. Absurd, crazy... but...  
I'll train harder to get stronger for Naruto... and I'll become the Hokage and protect everyone one day for him.  
The Hyuuga slowly wiped her eyes dry and stood up firmly with her resolve in mind.  
This I promise to you, Naruto! _

It was dark outside. Night had fallen, and bitter winds ravaged the forest. Millions of twinkling stars shone coldly through a thin layer of gray clouds coating the sky. A full moon was present, in its bright, icy glow lighting the heavens above. Pale rays fell silently onto the ever-rippling waters of a lake with the surface of a shattered mirror.  
" Is it wise to bring him with us?"  
The ebony-haired girl standing in front of the trio gazed up at the sky, " ... I think that he's the one of the prophecy."  
" What?" the other male in the group exclaimed, hazel eyes widening, " Why didn't you tell us earlier?" he asked in incredulously in disbelief.  
She shrugged, " I wasn't very sure at first, but I could feel the essence of the boreal lights in him..."  
" As well as the dark, sinister demon." he pointed out.  
The other boy spoke up, " Yuta, the oracle said that the chosen one would have two conflicting energies residing in him. It makes sense if he's the carrier of a demon..."  
Yuta grumbled as another harsh wind tore past, further messing up his raven hair, " You could've at least told me..." he adjusted his hold on the young blond he carried.  
The girl sighed, briefly closing her lilac eyes, " How were we supposed to draw conclusions so quickly?"  
" Mikomi, you're the next Guardian! How could you not-"  
" I'm still in training." she snapped at him.  
Shouhei watched the two with interest, a gleam in his golden eyes. Their arguments never failed to amuse him. He carelessly brushed back a strand of brown hair from his face.  
" -But you-, hey is it time yet?" Yuta broke off abruptly, gazing up at the sky.  
The silver moonlight glowed brighter than usual, and the stars seemed to swirl closer.  
" ... I think so..." Mikomi studied the heavens with her companions for a few moments.  
Shouhei nodded and adjusted his glasses, " Open the gate, then."  
She drew the sword on her back and held it out in front of her horizontally and closed her eyes as she began to concentrate. The shimmering blade of multicolored light slowly started to glow; first faintly, then getting brighter and brighter.  
" Unlock!"  
The gathered light burst up towards the sky, and the outline of an ancient set of doors flickered in the sky.  
" Hurry, let's go!" Shouhei bit his thumb and began a series of hand seals.  
" Summoning jutsu!"  
A large white dragon appeared in the usual poof of smoke, completely obliterating several trees in its wake.  
I assume that you need me to take you to the gates? the dragon addressed Shouhei.  
He nodded, " Yes, please."  
The dragon stretched his wings. Climb on. The train won't be waiting for you.  
The small group clambered on hastily, and the dragon took off into the air, headed for the doors.  
Who is the other with you? he questioned as they flew.  
" We think that he is the one of the prophecy." Yuta answered, tightening his hold on the boy.  
Are you sure? Bringing one of the people here into our world would be disastrous.  
" Mikomi sensed the aurora blessing in him. It should prove to be accurate." he answered confidently.  
" Besides, if we don't bring him back, he could very well die of his injuries. We patched him up the best we could, but it seems like he went through some sort of mental trauma as well. He was bleeding his life out when we found him at... the Valley of the End, was it?" Shouhei looked to his comrades at the last part.  
" Yeah, that was the name." Mikomi nodded, " We couldn't find anyone looking for him, and there was no time to follow the trail of the person who did this."  
I see. I hope that you have made the right decision, in that case. May he live to become a true hero, remembered through the ages!  
" You copied the last part from the oracle's words." Shouhei said accusingly.  
The dragon huffed. Did not! ... Well, maybe a little...  
Mikomi reached out to the doors as they arrived and channeled her chakra through the lock.  
Click.  
The heavy set of doors swung open and revealed a grassy emerald field coated with gentian flowers.  
Looks like you didn't miss the train yet. The dragon commented.  
Yuta smiled, " Yes!"  
Saying their thanks and biding farewell to the summon, the trio trudged over to the wooden bench planted beside the railroad tracks.  
" Whew." Shouhei sank down into the seat, " I can't wait to get home. This mission has lasted far too long for my liking..."  
Yuta settled the blond kid down before taking a spot himself, " Yeah. I had no idea it would be this long when Chikao gave us the details..."  
" 'Elusive' isn't exactly the best word to describe those people." Mikomi sat down beside Yuta with a yawn.  
Shouhei glanced at the two beside him before turning his gaze in the direction where the train would be coming.  
Now we wait... Man, I can't wait to get back!

Okay, I got this idea for the story when I was looking at some of Kagaya's pictures... and that's going to be what one of the main scenes for the story is based off of.  
If the second part of the chapter doesn't make sense, then I apologize, because I know it's not very descriptive. I'll try to clear things up in the next chapter, because that'll be when Naruto is officially coming into the story! :) Oh, and you won't know what I'm talking about for the train unless you see some of the pictures I mentioned.  
I'm planning on splitting the chapters, one of Hinata in Konoha, and one of Naruto... in the world I'm going to write about!  
You don't have to look at the pictures, since I'll be doing some descriptions, but they're very nice.  
Oh, and it would be nice if I could get some opinions on the personalities of Sakura and Sasuke... like, as in the "good guy" or "bad guy" thing, because I haven't made up my mind yet.  
Please review and tell me what you think! ^^ 


	2. Chapter 2

The first part is basically just explaining some stuff... I didn't want to squish everything into one chapter, since I think that will be too confusing. So, there's just some simple stuff here.  
( to DemihumanRo) I tried to change the format a little... please tell me if it needs more fixing, because I'm not too sure what you mean. ^^" Here's the chapter!  
Ch 2: Learning The first thing that registered in Naruto's mind was pain. Deep, incredible, pain. His entire body felt like it was on fire, and he let out a small gasp.  
" You're awake."  
The blond bolted up, his mind momentarily ignorant of his body's protests, eyes snapping open and crashing into something directly above him.  
" OW!"  
Naruto stared in shock at the raven-haired boy in front of him who stumbled back, clutching his head in agony and muttering something about 'ungrateful blonds'.  
" What..."  
The boy rolled his dark brown eyes, " Please. You nearly crack my head open after I carried you all the way here, and all you can say is 'what'?" he folded his arms and stood next to the bed Naruto was currently sitting on.  
He stared. This guy had on a white short-sleeved shirt and long black pants, with netting covering his palms and most of his arms. Naruto was not stupid. Sure, he wasn't exactly the brightest, but he didn't need a second look to know that he was dangerous.  
" I'm Yuta." he said as he watched Naruto analyze him, " Sunako Yuta, Hunter."  
" Hunter?" Naruto had a sudden fleeting image of the boy standing before him throwing kunai at cute, fluffy bunnies.  
Yuta slapped his forehead, cursing when he hit the spot Naruto crashed into earlier, " I forgot... You don't know anything about us, do you?"  
" Wait. Did you say us?"  
" Yeah, he did." the door to the small room opened and two others stepped in.  
Naruto looked over to see a girl trailing behind the man who'd opened the door. The man had brown hair and golden eyes, as well as a pair of rectangular glasses. He wore a blue sleeveless turtleneck and gray shorts going to his knees. The girl's short ebony hair was tied up in a small ponytail, and she was dressed in a black furred jacket and white shorts. Netting covered her legs knee-down, and her eyes were a startling lilac shade. Most disturbing, however, was the sword she carried on her back. He shuddered to think what she would do with it.  
Yuta grinned and patted him on the shoulder, " Fujiwara Shouhei and Sugimoto Mikomi." He turned to the blond, " What's your name?"  
" Uzumaki Naruto." If they trust me... I guess... Maybe I shouldn't keep anything from them?  
Shouhei nodded, " Alright then, Naruto. Do you remember what happened?"  
" I..." an image of Sasuke plunging chidori into him flashed through his head, " ... was fighting my best friend." he clenched his fists, " He betrayed Konoha. I think he was heading to Oto to train under Orochimaru."  
Yuta nodded, " Mhm. That explains a lot about your injuries. I mean, mentally as well."  
" If I was fighting Sasuke... how did I end up here? What is this place anyways? Where are we going? What-"  
" Hold on!" Shouhei cut him off. How can he talk that fast? he wondered in bewilderment, " For your information, we found you dying. Mikomi was able to partially heal you, and so we brought you along with us. Right now, we're on the Celestial Railroad, headed towards Opal Gate."  
" ... Huh?"  
Shouhei slapped his forehead, " This is going to take a while." he sat down in a chair beside the window of the compartment, " Right now, we're on a train. I'm sure that you've noticed that, right?"  
Naruto nodded in confirmation.  
" Here, we'll open the curtains." Mikomi strode over and parted the delicate cloths.  
Naruto's jaw dropped open.  
Outside they were passing fields upon fields of glowing gentian flowers. The grass was a rich deep emerald, and a river flowed silently. The astonishing part, however, was that everything was surrounded with stars. The small glowing lights floated around in the air, on the petals of flowers, into the water...  
" Amazing..."  
Watching the scenery outside, he could see that the train was traveling upwards.  
" What is this place?" Naruto finally asked.  
" We call it the Starfields. Of course, there are stars in other places, but most of them are gathered here." Mikomi closed the curtains.  
" But-What-How-?" he stuttered.  
" Stars are in the sky. Stars are around us right now. Therefore, we are in the sky right now." Yuta explained slowly, like teaching a child 1+1=3.  
" WHAT?"  
" You heard me."  
Shouhei took advantage of Naruto's momentary shock, " We live in a place called the Sky Realm. Everyone enters through the Opal Gate."  
" Gods, you're doing a terrible job explaining." Mikomi sighed.  
Shouhei glared, " Maybe you'd like to do the honors, then?"  
" Fine." she turned to Naruto, " You know how there's a world of the living and a land of the dead, right? Well, the Sky Realm is the in-between. We're the bridge between them. It's impossible to go from one to the other in a single step, therefore you have to cross the Sky Realm to reach the other side."  
Naruto nodded, " Okay... I get that."  
Mikomi continued, " There are gates... each gate opens to a different world, so when anyone dies in that world, they can access the Sky Realm easily. However, that also means that anything here can go into any world through the gates. So, people living here take it upon themselves to guard the gates."  
Naruto remained silent, his mind reeling from the information he'd been given.  
" Wait... what do you guard the gates from?" he finally asked.  
Yuta took up the explanation, " Since we're so close to hell, the chaotic energies there sometimes surface and pop up in the Sky Realm. When they come here, they form into what we call a demon. Since they tend to wreak havoc wherever they go, we get a full-time job of hunting them and guarding the gates from them."  
Something clicked in Naruto's mind, " That's why you said you were a Hunter. You hunt demons, right?"  
Yuta grinned, " Yup. That's my job."  
Shouhei studied Naruto carefully, " ... We know you have a demon inside of you. That's okay, there's nothing we can do about it right now."  
The blond nodded numbly.  
Living in the sky and gates and demons and different worlds... please let this be a dream!

Small puffy white clouds drifted through the sky. A gentle breeze swept past, speeding them on their way.  
" Ha!"  
A sharp cry shattered the serenity, sending a wooden training post crashing to the ground.  
*pant**pant*  
Hinata sank to her knees, breathing heavily from her vigorous workout. The training area was completely demolished; kunai peppered the targets with an occasional shuriken, training posts were split in half, trees looked like they could fall any moment...  
It's not enough. I have to work harder!  
The Hyuuga Heiress struggled to her feet, swaying slightly. I wonder how Naruto was able to keep himself going through all of this... Either he had inhuman stamina or it was really by determination alone. She gave herself a mental slap. What am I thinking! Naruto never gave up, and that was how he got his impressive stamina! I'm going to have to train three times as hard now...  
" Yosh, it's good to see a young girl's flames of youth burning brightly!"  
Hinata spun around to see a man in a green jumpsuit striking the 'good guy' pose at her with a smile so blinding that she had trouble looking at him.  
" Um..." she had no idea how to respond to this. What in the world are flames of youth? " Th-thank you...?"  
" I've been watching you train for a while now. Your taijutsu is pretty good, but it doesn't match you."  
She remained silent for a moment. True, all these years while she was learning juuken, it didn't seem to come to her. She just couldn't find the feeling for it.  
" Judging by what I see, you're exceptionally flexible. Perhaps you can try connecting that with your juuken or learn another style that focuses on it."  
Hinata spoke after a brief hesitation, " W-... Would you mind helping me, then...?"  
Gai was lost for a moment, as he really hadn't expected the Hyuuga to take his advice (days with Neji had taught him that). He quickly regained his composure and replied, " Of course I will! I will make sure to stroke your flames of youth to their utmost height!"  
Hinata did 'Kai' several times, to no avail. The crashing waves and gleaming sunset behind him refused to disappear. What sort of a genjutsu is this? She thought frantically.  
" First, we will work on your speed! Come, let us do ten laps around Konoha in thirty minutes, or else we'll climb the highest trees for an hour straight!"  
There were many times afterward when Hinata wondered how she got herself into this mess in the first place. She could only hope that she wouldn't be dead by the end of the training session with Gai.  
... And finish! There's not much in this chapter except a little explaining and a look on what Hinata is going to be doing. Anyways, please tell me what you think! 


End file.
